Anchor text optimization is one of the cornerstones of SEO because it determines how quickly and effectively you can get your website ranking. Before Google came up with the first Penguin update, there were minimal guidelines that you needed to follow with anchor text. Surprisingly, you could even build all the backlinks with 100% exact match anchors and still rank.
But Google became much smarter after the Penguin update came and what was considered right a few years ago can be a killer for your site today. Therefore, you need to align the entire SEO strategies to be on track with the updates so that you do not lose your ranking and online authority. With anchor text creation too, there are some fundamental rules that you need to stick to. Here are the ones that you must absolutely follow.
Keep the anchor text natural
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Primarily, you need to focus on keeping your anchor text natural, which means that it should not appear stuffed forcibly in your content. Search engines prioritize websites that are designed to provide real trust to the users with valuable content that is rich and informative. The key is to have a credible objective, with the intention of catering valuable information rather than just selling a product or service.
Anchor text usage is a significant criterion in this aspect as search engines look for the ones that are necessary, relevant and valuable. Ensure that you link only where it appears useful for the readers while avoiding repeated use of keyword anchors. Wherever you place anchor text, it should blend seamlessly with the content.
Avoid using exact matches
Exact match keywords as anchor text in the content is considered as a negative strategy from anchor text optimization perspective. Using exact matches as in the titles of pages, articles or blog posts as anchor texts is not recommended. Overusing them can have an adverse impact on the ranking because it seldom appears natural.
Instead of exact match anchor text, create links with vital pieces of information that the article contains and skip the title completely. The other aspect is that readers do not usually find the title of the article compelling enough to hold their attention. Rather, they would be genuinely interested in information within the article.
Leverage branded anchor text
Branded anchor text refers to creating a link to another page with your brand name as the anchor text. As Adam White from SEOJet explains in the article, SEO Backlink Strategy That Works Like Magic, you must first build brand trust on your homepage by getting backlinks with your brand name as the anchor text. Doing so can improve your ranking to a considerable extent.
Google also allows the use of site names as branded anchor text, making it a reliable and easy anchoring option when talking about your business brand. Generally speaking, these are considered as the safest and most powerful amongst the different types of anchor texts and are recommended to be used in the greatest proportion of your backlink profile.
Be choosy about who you link to
In addition to paying attention to anchor text optimization, be careful about the sites that you choose to link to as they can affect your search ranking. Prioritize high-authority websites because they are trusted sources for Google. Being connected with them makes your website trustworthy as well and improves you search rankings.
Even though an optimal link profile is a mix of backlinks from high and low DA sites, make sure that you never backlink with spam sites. Similarly, avoid excessive link exchanges as well. Link only with high-quality, niche-relevant and credible websites, that have high Domain Authority and Page Authority.
Keep the anchor text short
When you choose a piece of text to anchor a link, ensure that it associates with and describes the page that you are linking it with relevance. Additionally, avoid using exact match, while focusing on keeping it short in length. Use the minimum number of words possible, with the general rule being to keep it within five words.
You may be tempted to link with a long sentence but it is totally repulsive from the user’s perspective. A reader would ideally be curious about a few words that are compelling enough to drive them to click and access the link. Before creating an anchor text link, try thinking like the user and ideate what they would be interested in.
Relevance is the key
Another anchor text optimization rule that is to be followed is to make relevance your top priority. When you write a content piece, ensure that the page you link to is relevant for it. Then choose an anchor text that is directly related to your content piece and matches with the linked page as well. Niche relevance matters too as you cannot imagine taking a reader from an IT page to one about fashion.
While ranking anchor texts, Google checks it for relevancy to start with. Being relevant makes your website and page credible and pushes you to the top of search rankings. In case a page has an irrelevant anchor text, its SEO will suffer significantly.
Avoid anchoring to the top
To avoid anchoring to the top means that you should not anchor to the shallow pages of your website. These include the home page, product page and contact page. Linking to these pages builds an unnatural chain, which is neither good for your online presence nor gets you anywhere on the top rankings. The reason is that these pages seldom have anything that a user would want to share them.
Instead, focus on linking to deep pages such as a specific product or service or an interesting blog post. Once the users land there and find something valuable, they will naturally want to know your business better and may navigate to your home page for more. The longer the user stays on your website, the better it is for your SEO.
If you really want to make it big with your anchor text optimization strategy, make sure that you follow these rules. These get you fast and sustainable results and getting your site there becomes easier than you think.
